Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Saturday morning morning

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has asked a US court for permission to submit a confidential declaration explaining why it is withholding some records relating to allegations linking President Bola Tinubu to a drug-trafficking investigation. The FBI made the request in an application dated August 20 before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, saying it could not publicly disclose the full reasons for withholding certain information.

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu and other presidential hopefuls in the 2027 election to come out and defend their records and subject their programmes to public scrutiny. The former Anambra State governor spoke while addressing a world press conference on Friday to mark the commencement of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaign season.

The Nigeria Immigration Service, Osun State Command on Friday paraded 55 illegal migrants who were arrested at different locations in the state. The service said the migrants are nationals of Cameroon and Congo and had entered the state without valid documents.

The Kaduna State Police Command has rescued 75 travellers, including men, women and children, who were abducted by armed men near Folwaya village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state. The victims, who were travelling on commercial buses, were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen wielding AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons and taken into a forest, where they were concealed in a cave.

Two persons have lost their lives, while two others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a road crash that occurred opposite Jezco Filling Station along the Awka-Enugu Expressway in Anambra State. The accident, which occurred late on Thursday, caused a gridlock along the road as the wreckage occupied a large portion of the road, leaving only a small space for motorists plying the route.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said a larger national “rainbow coalition” will soon emerge to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 presidential election. Wike made the assertion on Friday during an inspection exercise in Abuja while commenting on the recent visit by Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke.

Another alleged fictitious Federal Government agency was uncovered on Friday, with President Bola Tinubu ordering the immediate arrest of the suspected promoter of the scam. The President also ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries in connection with the promotion of the fake agency, which goes by the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.

The Federal Government has declared Tuesday, August 25, 2026, a public holiday to commemorate the 2026 Eid ul Mawlid, marking the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement issued on Friday by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani.

The political crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State has taken a dramatic turn as Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central, has picked the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ticket to contest the senatorial seat in the 2027 elections. This is coming a few hours after the senator announced his resignation from the ruling party following a protracted disagreement with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The Benue State Police Command has rescued 13 more passengers abducted by suspected armed herdsmen along the Otukpo-Adoka Road while travelling from Enugu to Abuja. The victims were among the passengers of an 18-seater bus ambushed on August 14, 2026. Five passengers had earlier been rescued by the police hours after the incident.